Are you interested in going for a trip to Bali? Have you been to Bali before? If this is your first time traveling to Bali, there are things you need to put into consideration before you finally pack your bag and leave for this island of gods. You may need beginners guide to Bali, so you won’t ruin your vacation.
These travel tips to Bali is aimed to provide some important information for those who will go to Bali for the first time.
1. Getting the flights
Nowadays, there are many airlines serves flights to Bali so it won’t be hard finding the flight ticket. The price of the ticket is varied depends on the types of airline, a premium or budget airline. If you are really concern about comfort, a premium is your choice but if you don’t need luxurious services, then you can go with a budget airline.
The famous budget airlines that serve flights to Bali from Asian countries are AirAsia, Lion Air, Jet Air, and Mandala Air. If you start from Europe, you can choose KLM. This airline usually offers cheap fare to Bali. If you fly from the US, you can choose China South Eastern, Eva Air, or Philippine Airline. You may also tray Qatar Airways for they often offer promo tickets.
Another way to get a cheap fare to Bali will be booking the ticket in advance, so you will get a cheap price for the ticket.
2. When to visit
Just remember that Bali, which is located in South East Asia, has two main seasons, rainy and dry seasons. If you wish to enjoy beautiful beaches or have some adventure or outdoor activities, make sure you avoid coming on rainy seasons. Rainy seasons usually starting from November till March.
To enjoy the beach and various outdoor activities, it is best to come during the dry season which starts from April until September. However, during dry seasons usually, visitors from all over the world will flock to Bali, particularly during summer. Other peak seasons are during the school holiday and the changing of the year.
Both seasons have high visit seasons, you be sure you arrange your visit wisely, so you can really enjoy your vacation in Bali, check this article (the best time to visit Bali guide)
3. What to prepare
Before you go, make sure you check your passport. Be sure to have six months remaining on your passport. Another thing is the visa. Check whether your country is required to apply for a visit visa before coming to Indonesia. For visa on arrival, you can apply for the visa once you arrive in Indonesia. Remember, the visa on arrival only last for 30 days. Visit visa costs USD 50 while the visa on arrival costs USD 35.
Be sure to exchange some of your money before leaving. Bring your medication and not to forget to bring travel insurance.
4. What to pack
Since Bali is mostly hot, bring much clothing made of natural fibers to keep you comfortable. As you are going to enjoy most of your time at the beach, don’t forget to bring swimwear and beach gear. To protect your skin, bring sun cream and also bug and mosquito repellent.
If you have sarong at home, you can bring it since you are required to wear one when you visit temples in Bali.
5. Upon Arrival
You will arrive at Ngurah Rai International Airport. The airport is located in Kuta which is the most well-known tourist site in Bali. From the airport, it takes around 15 minutes to Kuta. To get to Seminyak, it will take about 20 minutes. If you plan to go straight to Canggu, Nusa Dua or Uluwatu, it is around 30 minutes by vehicles. Ubud will take about half an hour.
Nowadays, there were some changes in visa rules. For visitors from countries like USA, Australia, and the UK will not be required to purchase a VOA or given that they will not plan to stay more than 30 days. If you plan to stay up to 60 days, you can purchase on the visa for USD 65 upon your arrival. Overstay will cause you to pay IDR 300,000 fine a day.
If you are having a problem with our luggage, just find some porters. They are ready to help you. Just prepare that they may ask for a tip. The tip is around IDR 10,000. Read about Bali cultures here.
If you would like to go straight to your hotel, you can use taxis. There are some fixed price taxies which charged according to the distance. If you would like to book a taxi, you can go to the special counter that is located within the airport. The taxi will cost you around USD 10-15 for a car can carry 4-5 persons, depending on how many bags you bring.
You can use the hotel service to pick you up at the airport. For a car, it will cost you USD 15-20.
6. Where to stay
Well, before you find out accommodation in Bali, you have to decide in which part of Bali you want to visit. Usually, for tourists who visit Bali for the first time, they will go directly to the southern region of Bali, which is indeed the center of tourist attractions in Bali.
The famous region in the south of Bali is the Kuta area. In Kuta, you can find places to stay with prices that suit your budget. If you are looking for cheap accommodation under IDR 300,000 per night, you can search in the area around Poppies lanes (1 and 2) located at Jalan Three Brothers, Gang Puspa Ayu, Jalan Raya Tuban, until Jalan Bakung Sari.
Upon entering the small alleys of the main roads such as Jalan Raya Kuta along with Jalan Raya Tuban, you will find some affordable guesthouses. Some appear like boarding houses with prices below IDR 100,000.
7. Want some luxuries?
You can also find star hotels in the Jalan Kartika Plaza, Jalan Raya, and Kuta Jalan Legian. Villas that offer privacy can be found in the Seminyak area such as on Jalan Drupadi.
8. Want some quiet place?
If you are not too happy with the hustle and bustle of typical Kuta, you can choose other destinations in Bali. Try the quieter areas of Sanur, Jimbaran and Nusa Dua.
All three are close to the beach. It’s just that hotels in Nusa Dua are quite expensive because the hotels are within the resort area. You can also choose to stay in the Ubud area that still natural. But there are no beaches in this region, mostly mountain. However, Ubud is in Gianyar district which takes much longer hours from the international airport.
Gianyar has many interesting tourism objects, such as zoos, safari parks, cultural tours, mountains, and beaches. Other options are Lovina area, Singaraja, Prices here are still cheap, both hotels and food. But the distance is far from the airport, around three hours.
In the east of Bali, the most dominant attraction is the Candidasa area in Karangasem with its beaches which are still not too crowded. There are many inexpensive inns as well as expensive resorts in the region. Another option is Nusa Lembongan.
Meanwhile, in west Bali, you can stay in Canggu area which is famous for its surfing spot or around Tanah Lot. If you perfer a mountain and cool air, Jatiluwih area or around Mount Batukaru can be a good option. This area is also relatively quiet.
If you are a partygoer, you can find hotels or guesthouse around Kuta and Legian (backpacker favorites are Poppies Lane I and II). You can find some calm in Bedugul, Ubud, Amed, or Singaraja. If you want to be much quieter places, you can stay at Nusa Lembongan, Ceningan, and Penida.
9. Things to do
By staying in the South such as Kuta, Nusa Dua, Central Bali (Ubud) and Denpasar, you have easy access to various popular tourist attractions. These areas also have many options for transportation. Looking for beautiful beaches? then you need to go to the south of Bali area where you can find beaches like Kuta, Dreamland, Tanjung Benoa, Padang-Padang, Pandawa, Balangan, Karma Kandara, Uluwatu and Suluban.
Things To Do in Bali with Kids
In the north region, you can find a mountainous area like Bedugul, including Kintamani, Lovina, and Gitgit. Meanwhile, the tourist objects in the east area are Amed, Tirta Gangga, Tulamben, Candidasa, and Ujung. In the west part of Bali, you can visit places, such as Pemuteran, West Bali National Park including Menjangan Island. If love water sport, you can choose to visit Amed, Tulamben, Candidasa, Pemuteran, Nusa Penida Nusa Lembongan, and Menjangan Island.
10. Getting around
In Bali, there are many types of transportation, starting from public transportation (rarely available), such as Sarbagita and the Kura-Kura Bus, which have certain schedules. In addition, there are fixed price taxies, online transportation which you can book via a hand phone application. However, in certain areas, the online transportation is not given permission to operate by local residents. It is only permitted to drop passengers.
Renting cars is quite a popular type of transportation. You can choose to hire with or without a driver. If you only plan to go around e tnearest areas, you can rent a motorcycle. It will be more efficient due to the traffic jam that mostly happens in popular tourist sites.
11. Where to eat
Do you want expensive or cheap ones? Or do you wish to taste the local specialties of Bali? All of them are available.
However, if you are Muslims, be careful if you are looking for Halal cuisine. The safest way is by searching for restaurants like Padang restaurant or if you go to restaurants, you can ask for halal menus. The famous areas for Halal food are in Jalan Raya Tuban and Jalan Teuku Umar. You can try the famous Balinese food called Jinggo rice. It only contains rice, tempeh beans, shredded chicken, and chili sauce.
Read best restaurant in Kuta Bali.
To find international-standard restaurants, including fast food, you can find them in Jimbaran while various restaurants with international menus are available in Seminyak area.
12. Where to shop
For buying souvenirs, there are several recommended places, such as Sukawati, Guwang, Kumbasari, Kuta, and Ubud art markets which provide a variety of local handicrafts. Modern souvenir shops are also available in places like Erlangga, Krisna, or Hawaii Bali stores. Don’t forget to also visit Joger, a T-shirt manufacturer with funny words.
13. Culture and traditions
Many tourist attractions in Bali are a sacred place such as the Besakih Temple, Goa Lawah, Rambut Siwi, the temples of Batuan village, Uluwatu and Ponjok Batu. Therefore, it is important to know what to be avoided.
- For female visitors who are having a period, you are prohibited from entering a holy place because the local people believe that it can influence the sanctity of the temple and have a bad effect on visitors.
- Avoid using a camera flash while taking pictures of devotees or leaders of religious ceremonies.
- Do not stand in front and turn your back on the people who are doing worship.
- When crossing along the sidewalk, at shops in a number of tourist attractions or tourist attractions, you often find offerings (canang sari), if you accidentally step on them in front of the owner just say sorry, try to avoid stepping on them.
- If you can’t find a toilet, don’t urinate carelessly. Remember that Balinese people believe that every place has a “guardian”. If you really have to urinate, apologize first. Avoid urinating in trees that are tied with cloth or offerings.
- Do not pollute the springs (for example by removing garbage or spitting carelessly) because for Balinese (Hindu) water has a high position in their rituals and ceremonies.
Now you have been well informed, are you ready to visit Bali? Enjoy!